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Thursday, 11 August 2011

Only Shots Fired Were By Police

An IPCC Officer at the scene of the shooting.

By Ben Aulakh

An investigation into the shooting of 29 year old Mark Duggan has confirmed initial reports that the only shots fired were by police, not as the Met had originally reported, by the victim.

Initial findings from tests carried out by the Forensic Science Service, at the behest of the IPCC; found that the only ammunition discovered at the scene of the incident were police issue ‘jacketed bullets.’

An extract from a statement released by the IPCC also stated that the bullet lodged in the radio of one of the CO19 firearms officers was also police issue, ‘consistent with having been fired from an Heckler and Koch MP5 gun.’

The IPCC have also reported that a post mortem examination concluded that Mr Duggan was killed by a single gun-shot wound to the chest; he also received a second gunshot wound to his right bicep.

The Metropolitan Police had originally reported that a police had only fired shots at the 29-year-old after he had initially shot at them.

However, a firearm found at the scene, a converted BBM ‘Bruni’ self loading pistol, had a cartridge bulleted and ready to fire in the magazine, though initial tests have shown that no ammunition was fired from the gun.

Though the firearm, as it was converted without a licence, was illegal.

“I am committed to ensuring they are provided with answers from the IPCC about the investigation into Mark’s death as soon as we have them.

Both the IPCC and the Met have been heavily criticised for not making the details surrounding Mr Duggan’s death public to his family in the hours after his death.

In the hours after his death, senior officers refused to disclose to friends and family of Mr Duggan the details surrounding his fatal shooting, even after they visited a station in Tottenham Hale to demand answers from police into his death.

It was this incident which originally sparked the rioting and violence that has gripped the nation’s capital in the past few days.

Responding to the criticism Commissioner Cerfontyne said, “Any concerns expressed by the wider public about a perceived lack of information from the IPCC should be considered in the context that I am only willing to share information once I have had it independently verified.